This new personal-safety app has been gaining a lot of positive feedback from users across the world. Called the Companion, this app has been downloaded by tens of thousands of users worldwide for being an effective safety tool, especially for those who have to travel alone at night.
Created by five students from the University of Michigan, the app “enables users to request a friend or family member to keep them company virtually and track their journey home via GPS on an online map,” wrote IBTimes on their report.
This means a Companion user can be allowed to send multiple requests to his/her contacts to ensure that someone can be his/her ‘travel companion.’ Friends and family members, on the other hand, do not even have to download the app to ‘follow’ the user.
Photo credit: Companion/YouTube
IBTimes also tells us that once a person has been contacted by a user, they will receive an SMS message with a hyperlink “that sends them to a web page with an interactive map showing the user walking to their destination.”
“If the user strays off their path, falls, is pushed, starts running, or has their headphones yanked out of their phone, the app detects these changes in movement and asks the user if they’re OK,” the site adds. “If the user is fine, they press a button on the app to confirm within 15 seconds. If they do not press the button, or a real emergency is occurring, the Companion app transforms the user’s phone into a personal alarm system that projects loud noises to scare criminals from the scene, and gives you the option to instantly call the police.”
You can watch the video here to see how it works:
The Companion app can be downloaded from Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. You may also visit their official website for additional information.
What Are Other Things I Can Do To Stay Safe When Traveling Alone?
The LifeHacker website gives us the following useful reminders:
Know the area you’re traveling to (e.g., if there are certain neighborhoods notorious for crime).
Stick to public, well-lit areas.
Don’t be flashy with expensive items, jewelry, or gadgets.
Beware of common pickpocket tricks.
Know when you’re being followed (and how to get away safely).
Learn basic self-defense moves.
Be alert to your surroundings (staying sober and well rested helps).